Match-box.



No. 861,671. PATENTED JULY 30, 1907.

' v c. NELSON.

MATCH BOX.

APPLIGAII'ON'I'ILED MAR. 10,1906.

I Has. Wnrxsmm- Ixrmvr'on: mvawa /Wm Anmmx- CARL NELSON, OF ADAMS, MINNESOTA.

MAT OI-I-B OX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1907'.

Application filed March 10,1906. Serial No. 305,427.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL NELSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Adams, in the county of Mower and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Match-Boxes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in boxes for holding tooth-picks and matches especially the latter, in considerable quantities in such a position that they may readily be grasped and removed from the box a single one at a time; and the main object is to provide an improved, convenient, and eflicient box of said class, also to provide such box with improved means for igniting the matches. These and other objects, more clearly set forth in the below description and claims, I attain by the construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved match box. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. l, with the lower part in section on the line a a. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the lower part of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a bottom end viewof Fig. 1 without matches. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a bracket by which the box may be held upon a wall. This bracket is shown in central vertical section in Fig. 2, where the wall is represented by a single vertical line 29 to the left. Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the middle portion of the box.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 7 designates the match box proper, it is an elongated body with a fixed cover or top 8 and having upon its back a tongue 9, preferably struck up from the rear wall of the box, as indicated by the opening 10 in Fig. 6. This tongue 9 is dropped into the bend 11 of a bracket 12, securable to a wall, door-casing or other stationary object, so the box is thus suspended or held steady, and still in readiness to be quickly taken down when it is to be filled, which is done by placing the box back down and removing its cover 13. Said cover 13 has its longitudinal edges 14 bent at right angles upon the sides of the box. The lower end 15 of the cover is bent in and downward so as to catch inside the terminal edge 16 of the large front opening of the box, which said cover is to close. The upper end of the cover 13 is held closed by the catch 17 on the top piece 8, which top piece acts as a'spring to the catch to spring it downward every time the cover has been forced out or in past it.

The cover 13 is provided with a series of side catches 18 and bottom catches 19 struck up from the cover itself; these catches are adapted to hold in an upwardly removable manner the igniter 20, which may be a roughened metal plate or a piece of sand paper or emery cloth; in either case it may be readily removed when worn out and replaced with a new one.

The lower parts of the front and rear wall of the box are bulged outward at 21, and below said bulges they are formed into two inclined spring jaws 22, normally held closed together by their own spring force so as to support the matches 23, partly shown. Each jaw 22 is provided at the middle with a notch 24 for the ad mission of the thumb and one finger, by which the lowest match is grasped and pulled downward and out between the jaws. As the last mentioned operation is apt to spread the jaws too much and thus let out more than one match at a time, 1 form the lower ends of the narrow sides of the box into grips 25 which by engaging the spread jaws limit their spreading to only one match. The bulges 21 are to prevent clogging of the matches by giving them extra wide space to spread into at the point where they leave the box proper and enter the hopper formed by the jaws 22 and the lower ends 26 of the side walls.

To prevent matches from sliding out at the ends of the bulges 21, and at the same time to provide apertures through which the matches can be seen and touched in case they should clog, there is at each end of each bulge cut out a tongue, leaving an aperture 27, while the tongue is formed into a guard 28 to prevent matches from sliding out endwise.

It is obvious that the device may be used for a toothpick holder when so desired, simply by bending the jaws so much closer together as a tooth-pick is smaller than a match; and that when so used it may either be hung on the wall or upon the side of the caster or any other suitable support placed upon the table.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is A device of the class described, the same having the elongated box body permanently closed at the top with a resilient plate having a catch near its front edge, and having the inclined notched spring jaws 22 in its bottom, and a large front opening, a detachable door closing said opening, and means for supporting the box on a wall or other object; said door having the angular side flanges l4 sliding upon the sides of the box, and its lower end bent in and downward so as to catch inside the front wall of the box, and its upper end held by the said catch of the top plate.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CARL NELSON.

Witnesses GEO. E. NELSON, P. E. OPHEIM. 

